Mr. Cliff Akiyama, a lecturer in the Family and Community Health Division at the School of Nursing, was recently recognized with a citation from State Representative James Roebuck for his work in helping to end youth violence in Philadelphia. Mr. Akiyama was also appointed by the US House of Representatives Minority Leader John A. Boehner to serve on the Congressional Award Foundation Board of Directors. The citation reads, “Mr. Akiyama advocates strongly and works in the City of Philadelphia to prevent youth violence. …Mr. Akiyama is a distinguished constituent worthy of recognition for all his efforts to eradicate youth violence and for fostering youth volunteerism.”

Dr. George: Penn-made PresidentDr. Marie George, Gr ’85, has been named the new president of Cabrini College. She will take office in July.
See AlmanacFebruary 20, 2007 for other ‘Penn-Made’ Presidents.

Dr. Gutmann: Girl Scouts Award

President Amy Gutmann was the recipient of the Juliette Gordon Low Leadership Award given by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania at their 22nd Annual Take the Lead awards ceremony. Dr. Gutmann was honored with this new award “for her extraordinary vision and impact.” The “former Girl Scout, is a visionary leader in the field of higher education, stressing the importance of access for students of all economic backgrounds. In December, Dr. Gutmann announced the University’s plans to replace loans with grants for all financially eligible undergraduate students.” The Take the Lead awards ceremony was conducted entirely by Girl Scouts of different ages.

Dr. Hochstrasser: RSE Fellow

Dr. Robin M. Hochstrasser, Donner Professor of Physical Sciences, has been elected to the Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). He was recognized for being a “pioneer in the innovative use of lasers.”

Fellows are elected in recognition of outstanding achievement in their fields and contribution to public service.

Dr. Hochstrasser follows in the footsteps of distinguished predecessors such as Sir Walter Scott, Charles Darwin and Einstein.

The RSE is an educational charity, registered in Scotland that works to provide public benefit throughout Scotland and by means of a growing international programme. The RSE has a peer-elected, multidisciplinary Fellowship of 1400 men and women who are experts within their fields.

Dr. Hochstrasser is also the director of the NIH Laser Research Resource.His research focuses on the dynamics of structural change.

Dr. Hsu: Sloan Fellowship

Dr. David Hsu, Edward B. & Shirley R. Shils Term Assistant Professor of Management, was selected as one of the five “early career researchers” to receive the 2008 Sloan Industry Studies Fellowship. “The Industry Studies Fellowships support the work of researchers early in their academic careers who are recognized for their exceptional promise to contribute to the advancement of knowledge as well as to US industrial development,” said Paul L. Joskow, President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Each Fellow receives a grant of $45,000 for a two-year period and is free to pursue whatever line of inquiry or research that is most interesting to them and their industry partners.”

Dr. Stunkard: Scott Award

Dr. Albert Stunkard, professor emeritus of psychiatry, recently received the John Scott Award from the American Philosophical Society. This Award is given to “the most deserving” men and women whose inventions have contributed to the “comfort, welfare and happiness” of mankind. Dr. Stunkard was honored for his contributions to the understanding and treatment of eating disorders and obesity.
Dr. Scott was an Edinburgh druggist who in the early 1800s set up a fund calling upon the “Corporation of Philadelphia entrusted with the management of Dr. Franklin’s legacy” to honor “ingenious men or women who make useful inventions”. Among the recipients have been: Thomas Edison, Madame Curie, Frederick Banting, and, more recently, Kary B. Mullis and Richard E. Smalley, Nobel laureates in Chemistry.

Wharton #1 in BusinessWeek Rankings

The Wharton School was named the #1 undergraduate business program in the country in BusinessWeek’s third annual ranking of the “The Top Undergraduate Business Programs.” Holding the same position last year, Wharton was recognized for outstanding faculty and high-caliber students and alumni.

First RealArts@PENN Interns

A few months ago Kelly Writers House launched “RealArts@PENN”: http://writing.upenn.edu/realarts. “We received hundreds of applications for the program’s first six paid summer internships. I’m pleased to announce that these students will be our first RealArts interns this summer,” said Dr. Al Filreis.

1) At MTV Networks, in the Creative Services department, the intern will be Kerry Golds, a junior comparative literature/literary theory major with a minor in Hispanic studies. She is the editor-in-chief of 34th Street Magazine and a peer advisor for the College of Arts and Science. MTV’s Cheryl Family, a Penn alumna, helped coordinate this project. http://writing.upenn.edu/realarts/mtv.html

2) The first Rolling Stone magazine intern will be John Vilanova, a junior, an English major and music minor. He has studied music history from Gregorian chants to modern music, with special emphases on operas, symphonies, jazz, and modern music technology. He is a veteran of Anthony DeCurtis’s “Arts and Popular Culture” seminar. He is on the board of SPEC Jazz and Grooves, a concert-planning committee, and he is a radio DJ. Anthony DeCurtis helped arrange this special internship. http://writing.upenn.edu/realarts/rollingstone.html

3) Working at Brooklyn Films in L.A. with producer/director, a Penn alumnus and SAS overseer Jon Avnet (Risky Business, Uprising, etc.), will be Kevin McMullen, a junior communications/consumer psychology major who loves to make movies. He won the Drama Category of the Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival. He has written film reviews for 34th Street Magazine and is currently enrolled in one of the screenwriting workshops. RealArts would like to express gratitude to Jon Avnet for his generosity. http://writing.upenn.edu/realarts/brooklynfilms.html

4) At Women Make Movies will be Maggie Borden, a sophomore majoring in cinema studies. She has taken many cinema studies courses and is deeply involved in the student-theater community at Penn, enjoying both creative and technical positions. She is an aspiring filmmaker. Thanks to Karen Beckman who helped arrange this internship. http://writing.upenn.edu/realarts/wmm.html

5) At Shore Fire Media in NYC, a standard-setting marketing group, will be Joyce Lee, a junior dual major Wharton/College student majoring in economics in marketing and visual studies. She has taken classes at Penn about diverse media forms such as ‘The Graphic Novel as Literature’ as well as ‘Film Analysis and Methods’ along with those about business fundamentals such as statistics and accounting. She is promotions director for WQHS, Penn’s student-run radio station. Kudos again to Anthony DeCurtis for this one. http://writing.upenn.edu/realarts/shorefire.html

6) Learning editing and book publishing at Grand Central Publishing (former Warner Books) will be Heather Schwedel, a junior majoring in communications and English. She is the features editor of 34th Street Magazine and has participated in the “Write On” tutoring project at Kelly Writers House. Thanks to Caryn Karmatz-Rudy, a longtime editor and Penn alumna, for her help on this internship. http://writing.upenn.edu/realarts/grandcentral.html.

8th grade student Hannah Schill won the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee on March 8 at the headquarters of the School District of Philadelphia and will head to the national competition in May. This is the second year for PAS to win the regional bee. Also, Sowsan Salaam, a 5th grader, was a finalist. Congratulations to Hannah and her parents Dr. Sharon Thompson-Schill, SAS associate professor of psychology, and Michael Schill.

On the science front, the 4th-6th grade students competed eaerlier this month in the City’s Carver Science Fair for public, parochial and independent schools. PAS took 10 awards at the 2008 Lower School Science Fair, including three 1st place and three special awards. The PAS winners are listed below.

Peter M. Homberg, general manager of the Penn Club in New York, was elected as the President of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) at its 81st World Conference on Club Management held in Orlando, FL, in early February.

Mr. Homberg has been serving as the general manager of the Penn Club of New York since 1997. During his time as general manager of The Penn Club, he led a new management team to increase membership, develop programs to expand usage of the Club, and bring about a greater sense of stability to the Club. Most notably, his leadership helped steer the club to the status as a Platinum Club of America for two consecutive terms in 2003 and 2006. This 5-star ranking puts The Penn Club in the top 3% among 6,000 private clubs in the United States. This highly coveted and prestigious accomplishment is especially notable for a club that opened in 1994.

As CMAA’s President, Mr. Homberg will continue to work with CMAA members and allied associations.